Even a Job Offer Can Be Hacked: Here’s How

If your résumé is impressive enough, and you’ve managed to wow the interviewers, chances are good that you’re expecting a job offer. As our own Dice Salary Survey tells us (by its name alone!), income is important. Here are a few “hacks” to help you get the most money when a new employer offers you a job.

The real work begins before you even apply for the job. With a solid résumé and successful plan to ace the interviews, you set the ground for the offer. How you prepare and handle yourself through the process can greatly influence that offer.

More than anything, your attitude tells a prospective employer whether or not you’ll be a good cultural fit for the company. That’s not only being a nice person; the job offer is also an endorsement of how you handled stressful technical tests and long days of talking to a seemingly endless array of people.

Most people try to get a “feel” for how the process went. That’s smart, but being critical about performance is even smarter. Did you display your skillset adequately? Were they aware of your stress levels as you tried to figure out how to invert a binary tree?

The ‘delicate genius’ role is a relic of a tech industry past. Employers in this era want someone who is more collaborative, resourceful and humble. They’ll pay a premium for the right person, but may pass on someone who raises doubts. Your offer might reflect this reality, so being aware of the subtle nuances of your interview process will help you digest the scope of the offer (when it comes).

It’s also smart to know the job market in your area. A JavaScript developer in San Francisco makes more than one in Austin, Texas (it has a lot more to do with geography and demand than skillset). You might think you’re worth more, but if the market just doesn’t dictate that, you’ll have to come to terms with your offer. Our Salary Survey tells you what the tech salaries in your area are like; while not a negotiation tool, it will at least help you understand the offer once you receive it.

Money is important, but it’s not the only driver. If your company can’t budge on salary, they may be willing to offer extra perks such as more time off. (Such things are also bargaining chips for you later on; you might ask for a raise down the line, and giving up a few of those days off in exchange may encourage them to pay you a bit more.)

Toward the end of the interview process, you might be asked what salary range you’re looking for. That’s a good time to make your intentions known and re-iterate your strengths. If an experienced JavaScript developer reminds a recruiter that they have over five years as a dedicated developer who also contributes to several open source projects, it can go a long way toward sweetening a deal.

While a job offer may feel like the end of the process, it’s the beginning of a new one. You want your employer to feel confident about you, and the actual offer is the first step toward that goal.